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Where to buy a non-Apple, non-Google smartphone

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Re: Where to buy a non-Apple, non-Google smartphone

#31

Post by _old_dude_ »

The_President wrote: post #25
skc wrote: post #24

Many years later and I'm still bitter that the tech press laughed Windows Phone out of the room straight to its demise. Yes it had very little developer support but at some point things were looking up. It was just the butt of too many jokes from influential people. A third ecosystem right now would have been amazing

The Windows phone didn't make it due to Microsoft failing to compete, not the press. Not many tech products exite me less than the concept of a Microsoft Windows 365 Copilot Cortana phone.

Yes, and let's not forget Stephen Elop's 'Burning Platform' Memo

https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-TEB-2031

Re: Where to buy a non-Apple, non-Google smartphone

#32

Post by dessimus »

skc wrote: post #24

Many years later and I'm still bitter that the tech press laughed Windows Phone out of the room straight to its demise. Yes it had very little developer support but at some point things were looking up. It was just the butt of too many jokes from influential people. A third ecosystem right now would have been amazing

Given what Microsoft has done with the state of Windows with built-in telemetry, the attempts to add Recall, and now AI features they are adding to many customers dismay, you have them doing anything different with Windows Phone if it had gained traction than Apple and Google?

Re: Where to buy a non-Apple, non-Google smartphone

#33

Post by gunalx »

johnsea wrote: post #14

This article fails to mention GrapheneOS. The article starts with Murena, Punkt, Volla which are all based on Android. If you do this, then imho you must mention GrapheneOS, the by far better option (updates, privacy, security, organisation). Google Pixel with GrapheneOS is the best non-Google phone... ;-)

As much as I like graphene it is literary running on google hardware (atm) and uses asop. Even if it is a really good option is you want to run degoogled and secure android.

Re: Where to buy a non-Apple, non-Google smartphone

#34

Post by ttkari »

bobim wrote: post #27
ttkari wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are also less than 2 months away from the first deliveries of the Jolla Phone 2026, a new SailfishOS device they have designed and built from scratch. Over the past years the official Sailfish experience has largely been relying on Sony Open Device program - a co-operation which hasn't always been very smooth for the customers. I have been daily driving SFOS on a Sony Xperia 10 III for the past 3 years and it wo…

I have rage-quit apple for a C2 and the muscle memory still kicks in after months. The ergonomy of Sailfish is sometimes bizarre, the little top left dot for navigation for example. Still it does everything I need, just with a very bad camera. Let's hope the 2026 will fix that.

Oh but you don't usually need to care for the dot itself so much as it's just an indicator that you can do a middle swipe left/right to move between stacked pages.

Re: Where to buy a non-Apple, non-Google smartphone

#36

Post by The_President »

_old_dude_ wrote: post #31
The_President wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Windows phone didn't make it due to Microsoft failing to compete, not the press. Not many tech products exite me less than the concept of a Microsoft Windows 365 Copilot Cortana phone.

Yes, and let's not forget Stephen Elop's 'Burning Platform' Memo https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-TEB-2031

Paywalled for me

Re: Where to buy a non-Apple, non-Google smartphone

#37

Post by skeeter2020 »

skc wrote: post #24

Many years later and I'm still bitter that the tech press laughed Windows Phone out of the room straight to its demise. Yes it had very little developer support but at some point things were looking up. It was just the butt of too many jokes from influential people. A third ecosystem right now would have been amazing

>> It was just the butt of too many jokes from influential people.

I loved my Windows phones (especially near the end when you were getting Pixel & Apple level hardware for pennies on the dollar), but is this really true? They had limited hardware partners (and the disaster with Nokia), lukewarm carrier deals, absolutely no apps, but who were these "influential people" who made fun of it? If anything it seemed more like no-one was even aware of it. I remember the little press they did get being quite positive on the devices & OS, while critical of the broader ecosystem, which seems fair.

Re: Where to buy a non-Apple, non-Google smartphone

#39

Post by izacus »

johnsea wrote: post #14

This article fails to mention GrapheneOS. The article starts with Murena, Punkt, Volla which are all based on Android. If you do this, then imho you must mention GrapheneOS, the by far better option (updates, privacy, security, organisation). Google Pixel with GrapheneOS is the best non-Google phone... ;-)

GrapheneOS is a Google OS - it's a slightly modified Android developed by Google and continues to be dependent on Google for updates.

(Murena /e/OS is similar. No, slamming the downvote button won't make either of them any less Google dependant OSes.)

Re: Where to buy a non-Apple, non-Google smartphone

#40

Post by echelon »

janvlug wrote: post #13

I use a Librem5 Linux phone. With the default PureOS operating system. Enjoy your freedom, break free from Google and Apple. Have a full Linux computer in your pocket that you can also use for calling. See also the discussion on this post: https://mastodon.social/@janvlug/116504044251287290

> Enjoy your freedom, break free from Google and Apple.

You can't escape it.

Your friends and employers and banks use it. The state will soon mandate it for ID. It's the accepted worldwide compute platform, and you're being the nail that sticks out.

Your usage is subject to breaking randomly, being unsupported, losing access or being banned by stepping outside the traffic lines, etc.

They'll use attestation, certs and signing, proprietary APIs, and the scale and might of trillions of dollars to force this.

The only way to "break free" and "enjoy your freedom" is via regulation and -- the better option -- trust busting.

The EU and ASEAN are the best bets for regulation. Getting another Lina Khan that works faster next time is the next best bet for regulation, and possibly a superior outcome that could result in a breakup opening up mobile for true competition.

Being weird in the 0.0001% will not last, nor does it help anyone else escape this monopolistic tyranny.

We need the government to pave the way for dozens of Apple/Google competitors. Or to horizontally split these two companies into dozens of "Baby Bells" that are forced to fight one another.

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